We decided to invite someone else into the bedroom. And yes—it’s a TV.
We used to be staunchly against having a TV in the bedroom, so we understand it’s not for everyone. We only own one TV for the whole house—the larger one sits in the living room, and a smaller unit had been languishing in the playroom since we upgraded. After thinking it over, we changed our minds for a practical reason: we’ve been struggling with work/life balance and find it hard to switch off. Too often we end up on the couch with our laptops and the TV murmuring in the background. Putting a TV in the bedroom felt like a way to create a clear no-work, no-multitasking zone, where laptops are not allowed and we can focus solely on relaxing and enjoying shows.
For us, that means simple, restful evenings—zombie-apocalypse marathons or Dexter replayed on lazy nights. Call it our idea of a cozy date. People warn that a bedroom TV can distract from other romantic activities, but with the daily realities of toddler care, renovations, book deadlines, and blog work, we figure it’s unlikely any small screen will derail us. Moving past any blushes, the real appeal is the promise of wake-up weekends spent lounging in bed watching a movie together instead of immediately slipping into “work-mode” on the sofa.
Our goal was also aesthetic: the dresser-and-TV arrangement reads far more spa-like than the cluttered wall that used to stare back at us every evening. After a recent string of travel and projects, I returned determined to whip that wall into shape. The first step was simple tidying—returning books to the built-ins, breaking down empty boxes for recycling, and moving a lamp back to its rightful spot.
We moved a pair of mid-century side tables into the guest room (we’d phased them out of the bedroom earlier), and once those were shuffled around we were able to center the dresser properly. That dresser is one of the few splurge projects we’ve kept because we loved it so much—you might recognize it from earlier sneak peeks. It now sits directly across from the bed, perfect for viewing, and we placed the small leftover living-room TV on top.
It’s working well for us so far—well, in spirit. The TV isn’t hooked up to cable yet, so for now it’s purely decorative until we have time to call the provider and get everything set up. Between travel and the holiday week it’s been hard to find a free moment to sit on hold, but it’s on the to-do list.
Some say it’s poor feng shui to sleep facing a TV or a mirror, but we slept across from a full-length mirror for years without any sleep problems, so we’re not too worried. The centered, uncluttered dresser has been a small delight: I love having a tidy surface to display little jewelry dishes that pick up colors from the rug, and a few sentimental accessories like wood blocks with our initials and a favorite number. Those little finishing touches really lift the space.
Slowly the bedroom is shifting from chaotic clutter to a calm, balanced room where each wall feels considered. We’ll see how the TV fits into that rhythm once it’s fully operational. It could become a beloved part of our routine, it might gather dust and move out, or we could end up never leaving the room—only time will tell. Either way, I’m excited to be able to share photos of one of our favorite furniture projects on the blog.
Do you have a TV in your bedroom? I’m curious whether it’s common or rare among readers. We tried running a poll here before, but it crashed the site, so we set up a small poll on our social page instead. If you’re interested in weighing in, check out the poll there—can’t wait to see how everyone feels about this.
Psst—Have you seen baby Weston yet? It was such a happy surprise to hear the news in the middle of the night that he arrived safely. Clara already loves him and, after I showed her a photo, she sweetly said, “I want to bother him.” Cute, right?